German Combination Gun Identification

[tocayo]

Mike,
I'm going to keep all of the information you have provided, print it and put it with the guns. I can't thank you enough for your help.
Johnny

[mike ford]

Johnny,
You are welcome. I forgot to mention that guns marked 118,35 often have barrels with .357-.358" groove diameter, making American 35 caliber bullets useable.
Mike

[tocayo]

Thanks again Mike!

[ebx61u5]

My own combination gun resembles this quite a bit, exception for ornamentation, caliber, and maker. The action appears to be identical. As far as I can tell from prof marks, it was built sometime between 1912 and 1939.
Where would the many German gun makers have obtained their actions for these rifles? One of the big Waffenwerk? Multiple smaller suppliers?

Mike

[mike ford]

ebx61u5
That is not an easy question to answer and I admit up front that my attempt to answer may not be precisely correct. I'm sure that If I'm too far off someone else will correct the record. For some, a larger maker would have made the whole gun, for the "trade", and larger retailers would offer them to the public, under their own name ( they could have more or less standard features or, on request, special features). In other cases, larger retailers may have had "in house" gunsmiths/stock makers/ engravers and order unfinished guns for finishing to their own standards or to customers request. Individual gunsmiths/makers could do the same( usually one at a time). Individual gunsmiths/makers could have bought receivers/ barrels/ small parts in "blank" or "raw" condition, and build the gun from them. In this case, all features would be at the customer's request. Whoever finished the gun to a "shootable" condition would usually have the gun proofed, but I suppose the legal duty to insure this was done would fall on whichever firm sold it to the public. The original source of any of the above would usually be one of the major manufactures that had the facilities to manufacture the receiver, whether forged, cast, or machined. The actual selection of the source would depend on the desires of whoever was buying it, but it would generally be a firm in the local area. For instance, my friend Walter Grass( an individual gunsmith/maker)almost always used Heym as his source. I do know that he sometimes used Krieghoff , because he had a receiver/barrel set in stock and Kreighoff had identifiable features that were obvious. Stockmakers in the area, as well as engravers, often worked for the "name" company during the day and individual gunsmiths/makers, either in the smaller shop or at home, on the weekend or at night. Makers of scope mounts, sling swivels, stock magazines, etc. usually served the "name" companies and individual ones all at the same time. Except for the more modern "standard" (for the company) mounts; telescopes were almost always mounted by an individual gunsmith, or retailer with "in house" gunsmiths, even if ordered from a "name" company. There are just too many different variations for the manufacturer to be able to economically do it. There are some types of guns, such as the ubiquitous small frame, underlever( non Sauer "Tell") rifles that seem to have been made by one company and finished by almost everyone else in the "trade".
I hope this helps.
Mike

[ebx61u5]

Thanks Mike!